Gingerbread mince pies

Fruit mince pie recipe

A well-made mince pie is a must-have treat during the Christmas season. It’s hard not to love the cosy feeling that eating one brings, which is all thanks to the warming spices, boozy and jammy fruit filling, and buttery pastry.

Even in the 17th century, mince pies were already tied to Christmas. But the original mince pie recipe might take more getting used to, as they were filled with minced meat, fruit and spices. It wasn’t until the 18th century that an English cookbook author named Hannah Glasse suggested omitting the meat and making a sweet fruit pie. As the years went on and sugar became cheaper and accessible, sweet mince pie recipes were seen more often, evolving to eventually become the beloved recipes of today. Dreaming of making them yourself but unable to find good fruit mince pie recipes? This one is for you.

How to make delicious fruit mince pies

Here’s how to make perfect mince pies. Before you start baking, make sure you have the ingredients and equipment you need for this Christmas mince pie recipe. For the fruit filling, you’ll need dried fruit, a Granny Smith apple, brandy or dark rum, orange marmalade, sugar, mixed spice and ground ginger. For the shortcrust pastry, you’ll use flour, butter, sugar, ground ginger, mixed spice, an egg and chilled water. The equipment list includes a grater, measuring spoons, measuring cups, mixing bowls, spoon, plastic wrap, food processor, rolling pin, ⅓ cup (80ml) muffin pan, 3cm star-shaped cutter and sieve.

Keep in mind that the mince pie filling needs to soak overnight before you can assemble the pies, so give yourself ample time to complete the entire baking process. To make the fruit filling, core and grate the apple, then combine it in a bowl with dried fruit, brandy or rum, marmalade, sugar, mixed spice and ginger. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight to allow the fruit to be infused with the alcohol and spices. Stir this mixture from time to time.

The next day, get started on your mince pie pastry. Allow yourself several hours to do this, especially if it is your first time. Make sure the butter you use is chilled so that you end up with flaky pastry. Use a food processor to mix together the flour, butter, sugar, ginger and mixed spice until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Separate the yolk from the egg white, add the yolk and some chilled water into the food processor, and mix until just combined. You don’t want an overworked pastry dough as it can end up chewy and tough to eat.

Dust some flour onto your kitchen bench to prevent the pastry dough from sticking when you’re working with it. Place the dough onto the bench, shaping it into a disc with your hands. Wrap it well with plastic wrap and rest it for 30 mins in the fridge.

Now you can preheat your oven to 180°C. While it is heating up, take your dough out of the fridge and divide it into 12 portions. With the rolling pin, start from the middle of the dough and roll outwards, until each portion becomes a 3mm thick disc. As you roll outwards, keep turning the dough.

Gently place each pastry disc in the holes of the pan, so that they form little cups. Any extra dough can be wrapped and set aside (you’ll use this again shortly). Put the muffin pan in the fridge for 30 mins to rest again.

Once the pastry discs are rested, take them out and fill them evenly with the fruit mixture. Use the rolling pin to roll out the extra dough you set aside earlier to 3mm thickness. Grab your star-shaped cutter to cut out 12 pastry stars. Gently place a star on the top of the fruit mixture, then put the muffin pan in the oven for around 25 to 30 mins or until the pies are golden brown and heated through.

Once cooked, take the pan out of the oven and let the pies cool in the pan. When cooled, use a sieve and dust the pies with icing sugar.

Best ways to serve fruit mince pies

There’s a reason why mince pies almost always appear during the festive season. Because they’ve been served at Christmastime since the 17th century, just a whiff of the warm spices and hint of brandy or rum reminds you of Christmas. Even if you’re eating it way past the festive period, one bite can take you back to the memories of celebrating the holiday with your loved ones, and for some people it might transport them to their childhood if they grew up with mince pies.

Since these pies aren’t getting phased out of the Christmas menu anytime soon, how can you serve them year after year while still keeping the interest of your guests? One way is to change up their final look. Instead of star shapes, how about other kinds of pastry toppers like flowers, hearts or latticework? Or maybe you’d like to garnish them with pecans, macadamias, flaked almonds, or even meringue.

Another way is to switch up how you serve the pie. Keep it cold or warm it up, offer it with or without a cup of strong tea. Wondering what goes with mince pie? Crème fraîche, single or double cream, brandy cream, brandy butter, custard or vanilla ice cream are all good accompaniment options.

Now get cooking

Look no further for your holiday project this year and try your hand at making this easy mince pie recipe. Love yourself a Christmas mince pie? You might enjoy these recipes for pistachio and fruit mince ice cream pie and mince pie truffles, which are inspired by mince pies. Want a mince pie recipe that uses ready-made dough? This recipe for easy mince pies is for you. You can also check out these recipes for easy apple pies and lemon meringue pie for other sweet pies to try. Or if you’re looking for other traditional festive treats, check out recipes for Christmas fruitcake and Christmas pudding with almond praline butter. For other dessert and edible gifts inspiration, see the complete recipe collection for Christmas desserts.